To solve the mystery of an Amazon artifact, Wonder Woman travels to ancient China, where she meets Chinese Amazons and helps them defeat Barbarian invaders.

Indexer Notes

This story was re-written and re-drawn in Wonder Woman (DC, 1942 series) #207.

Wonder Woman travels to China circa 2300 BC. According to Princess Mei, her ancestors were ancient Amazons who conquered Asia Minor and ruled all of China. By the time of Princess Mei, only her province remains a matriarchy, which the barbarians hope to conquer. To help prevent this, Wonder Woman builds the Great Wall of China.

Although Wonder Woman's Amazons have never been depicted wearing trousers or using crescent-shaped pelta shields, she immediately recognizes these as belonging to Amazons.

Wonder Woman travels to the enchanted island planet of Sorca, where Circe has captured Steve and his crew and turned them into animals.

Indexer Notes

First and only Golden Age appearance of Circe in the Wonder Woman series. Circe reappears toward the end of the pre-Crisis period starting at Wonder Woman (DC, 1942 series) #301, and becomes a major adversary post-Crisis.

According to this story, Circe was banished by the Amazons to Sorca for turning unwary visitors to her island of Aiaie into animals. In later depictions, she is dark-haired, but here she is blond. The antidote to her spells, normally moly, is called "molu" here. Humans are turned into the animals they are most like, so Steve becomes a lion, and Wonder Woman becomes a doe.